| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Laring, Jonas, 1951, et al.
(författare)
-
ErgoSAM: A preproduction risk identification tool
- 2005
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Ingår i: Human Factors and Ergonomics In Manufacturing. - : Wiley. - 1520-6564 .- 1090-8471. ; 15:3, s. 309-325
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Simulating work in a workstation with computer manikins is for many companies too expensive to acquire and master. An alternative method to detect high musculoskeletal loads early in the planning process is ErgoSAM. This article describes the users' and potential users' view of ErgoSAM and the suggestions of possible and desired improvements. Some improvements were introduced in a new version of ErgoSAM and validated at Volvo Car Corporation, Sweden. The new version demonstrates improved capacity to predict the occurrence of high loads on the operator when performing an assembly task, described in the MTM method SAM and in an assembly environment.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Berlin, Cecilia, 1981, et al.
(författare)
-
A Systemic Overview of Factors Affecting the Cognitive Performance of Industrial Manual Assembly Workers
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems. - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 2367-3389 .- 2367-3370. ; 221 LNNS, s. 371-381
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In paced assembly lines, cognitive processing is required from assembly workers to perform correct and timely assembly of complex products with varying specifications. This interview study involving 75 industrial assemblers, design- and manufacturing engineers explores how assemblers’ cognitive performance is influenced by multiple factors within the contexts of product design, production setup and assembly. Our results indicate that both positive and negative effects on assemblers’ cognitive performance can stem from task design, timing, physical loading demands, extrinsic motivation factors, teamwork and the assembly “interface” design. Among design- and manufacturing engineers, two mindsets emerged: (i) a product-centred mindset relying on assemblers having sufficient experience, knowledge, and assembly instructions, (ii) an assembler-focused mindset characterised by an iterative and collaborative development process to ensure easy-to-assemble solutions, and avoid errors, delays and costly re-work. Despite organizational differences and conditions between the companies that took part in the study, the results are largely consistent.
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| 6. |
- Berlin, Cecilia, 1981, et al.
(författare)
-
Avenues of entry: how industrial engineers and ergonomists access and influence human factors and ergonomics issues
- 2014
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Ingår i: European Journal of Industrial Engineering. - 1751-5254. ; 8:3, s. 325-348
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study compares how Canadian industrial engineers (IEs) and ergonomists ‘position themselves’ to influence human factors and ergonomics (HFE) issues. The study examined how these stakeholders perceived their influence on HFE issues, constraints they operated under, and strategies used. The results contribute to an understanding of decisions and processes surrounding HFE practices, showing that organisational entry points and stakeholder expectations on IEs and ergonomists affect their influence on HFE issues. Ergonomists influenced HFE issues by leveraging their knowledge of other stakeholders’ priorities, and were more dependent on accessing the issue via a ‘problem owner’. IEs were often entrusted with greater freedom to act on improvements. Expressing HFE improvements in terms of business benefits was a successful strategy for both. It was found that ergonomists operated as ‘partial solution builders’, trying to influence the HFE issue as an expert, lobbyist or facilitator. Based on the results, an existing framework was modified.
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| 7. |
- Berlin, Cecilia, 1981, et al.
(författare)
-
COREQ checklist for the research project PreKo, 2018-2021
- 2021
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- For the research project “A Model for predictive assessment of cognitive workload – PreKo”, we (the researchers) have completed a COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies) checklist to transparently convey the research project’s study design in detail, with regard to the multi-case interview study that was carried out in the project.
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| 8. |
- Berlin, Cecilia, 1981, et al.
(författare)
-
Corporate-internal vs. national standard - A comparison study of two ergonomics evaluation procedures used in automotive manufacturing
- 2009
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Ingår i: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-8141 .- 1872-8219. ; 39:6, s. 940-946
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Manufacturing corporations sometimes use corporate-internal procedures to evaluate and monitor the ergonomic status of the workplace. This article describes an industrial case study in the Swedish automotive sector, where an internally developed evaluation procedure was compared with a procedure based on a Swedish national standard provision. It was found that the national standard procedure tended to give more severe ratings and statistical support shows that the two evaluation procedures are not equivalent. The ability of the methods to identify body segments at risk was also compared. The quantitative comparison was followed up with interviews, where the influence of professional tasks and objectives became evident, as well as the fact that evaluation criteria are quantified differently by the two procedures. The main finding is that unforeseen differences in analysis procedure, criteria of acceptability and levels of detail can cause use-related difficulties for different professional groups when methods are used interchangeably. Relevance to industry: Industrial corporations wishing to monitor ergonomics consistently are advised by the authors to ensure that ratings from internal evaluations are interpreted the same way by all involved personnel, and that they at least have criteria levels equivalent to those of a national standard. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
- Berlin, Cecilia, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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National Standard vs. Corporate-Internal Ergonomics Evaluation - an Industrial Case Study
- 2008
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Ingår i: The 40th annual Nordic Ergonomic Society Conference, NES 2008, Reykjavík, Iceland, August 11-13.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In Sweden, industrial corporations are required to actively monitor and improve the working environment for their employees according to the provision AFS 1998:1, a document that offers guidelines for maintaining a healthy physical working environment, chiefly by ensuring healthy working postures. This provision was purposely formulated in a very general, nonspecific manner in order to be relevant for a large variety of industries.At certain industrial corporations, corporate-internal procedures for evaluating and monitoring the ergonomic status of the workplace have been developed, usually in order to takeconsideration of the specific conditions of that industrial application. The protocol, method,execution and presentation of the evaluation results may vary. Also, the decision regarding which personnel should carry out the evaluation becomes a poignant question. In this article, which describes a Swedish industrial case study in the automotive sector, a corporate-internal method with a highly specified input protocol was used to evaluate theergonomic status of a production line. At the time, the evaluation was carried out by factory personnel with specific training in using the method. Months later, the same factory segment was re-evaluated by two professional ergonomists from an occupational health service, thistime using the AFS 1998:1 provision as a basis.The article makes an attempt to compare the two methods, finding some similarities and also some interesting differences. However, the main research questions that arise from this work concern the difficulties of choosing the right evaluation method for a large, complex industrialsystem; not only do different evaluation methods tell us different things at different levels of detail, but they also require very different competencies from the persons who perform the evaluation.
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| 10. |
- Berlin, Cecilia, 1981, et al.
(författare)
-
“Power Base” Tactics for Workplace Change – an Interview Study with Industrial Engineers and Ergonomists
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Ergonomics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0014-0139 .- 1366-5847. ; 60:5, s. 613-627
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The work activities of Industrial Engineers (IEs) and Ergonomists drive workplace changes. The purpose of this study is to compare the work practices of the two professions and examine 1) how IEs and ergonomists gain influence over workplace changes, and 2) whether there are prevailing types of intentional interaction behaviours called Power Bases (PB), present in the interactiontactics they employ. The study identified key behavioural strategies used by the interviewees to successfully influence workplace changes; these were then mapped to their corresponding PB. Results showed that IEs and Ergonomists were successfully influencing workplace changes using several tactics across the spectrum of power bases, with the exception of Reward and Coercion. The study concludes with a list of recommended workplace change agent tactics, and proposes that a PB “analytical lens” can serve to increase the budding ergonomist’s critical and analytical skills when considering possible workplace change tactics.
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| 11. |
- Brolin, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Adaptive regression model for prediction of anthropometric data
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation. - : InderScience Publishers. - 1742-5549 .- 1742-5557. ; 5:4, s. 285-305
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents and evaluates an adaptive linear regression model for the prediction of unknown anthropometric data based on a flexible set of known predictive data. The method is based on conditional regression and includes use of principal component analysis to reduce effects of multicollinearity between the predictive variables. Results from the study show that the proposed adaptive regression model produces more accurate predictions compared to a flat regression model based on stature and weight, and also compared to a hierarchical regression model, that uses geometric and statistical relationships between body measurements to create specific linear regression equations in a hierarchical structure. An additional evaluation shows that the accuracy of the adaptive regression model increases logarithmically with the sample size. Apart from the sample size, the accuracy of the regression model is affected by the number of, and on which measurements that are, variables in the predictive dataset.
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| 12. |
- Brolin, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Adaptive regression model for synthesizing anthropometric population data
- 2017
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. - : Elsevier. - 0169-8141 .- 1872-8219. ; 59, s. 46-53
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents the development of an adaptive linear regression model for synthesizing of missing anthropometric population data based on a flexible set of known predictive data. The method is based on a conditional regression model and includes use of principal component analysis, to reduce effects of multicollinearity between selected predictive measurements, and incorporation of a stochastic component, using the partial correlation coefficients between predicted measurements. In addition, skewness of the distributions of the dependent variables is considered when incorporating the stochastic components. Results from the study show that the proposed regression models for synthesizing population data give valid results with small errors of the compared percentile values. However, higher accuracy was not achieved when the number of measurements used as independent variables was increased compared to using only stature and weight as independent variables. This indicates problems with multicollinearity that principal component regression were not able to overcome. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation values together with correlation coefficients is sufficient to perform the conditional regression procedure. However, to incorporate a stochastic component when using principal component regression requires raw data on an individual level.Relevance to industryWhen developing products, workplaces or systems, it is of great importance to consider the anthropometric diversity of the intended users. The proposed regression model offers a procedure that gives valid results, maintains the correlation between the measurements that are predicted and is adaptable regarding which, and number of, predictive measurements that are selected.
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| 13. |
- D, Andesson, et al.
(författare)
-
Ergonomiskt utformning av styckningsarbete
- 1985
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This research work was carried out together with the Department of Industrial Ergonomics at Linköping University, Linköping. A comment: Publishing consumer reports was the praxis during this (early) period of time at Chalmers University of Technology, as well as probably at some other universities. This means that frequent and vast academic publication by means of e.g. conference papers and refereed contributions to scientific journals was almost unheard of. At least so for some of the applied science disciplines. However, today are the situation indeed very different (i.e. earlier was the publication in many respects focused on trying to satisfy the executive administrator the research foundation in question etc.). To be more precise, this early praxis was definitively the case for the research and development work carried out at the Department of Transportation (a broadly applied science discipline), which was characterized by more practical strives to e.g. engineer research results. Rather than relying on truer scientific efforts in a narrower sense. Functional satisfaction (i.e. something engineered work as planned instead verification/falsification of a hypothesis) was judged as being a primary aim of this research and development work. Therefore are (in the context of the publications registered in Chalmers Public Library CPL) the author making distinctions between consumer reports, on one hand. And, one the other hand, reports and preprints (manuscripts), while instead the academically orientated publications are various sort of scientific contributions presented at conferences or published in scientific journals (actually it is somewhat more complex, but further explanations are omitted here). The consumer reports were aimed at a various external organization with who the authors cooperated, and these are in many cases not available in PDF format to be easily read by logging in at CPL. This particular approach has judged as being fair/relevant fair in order to mirror of work conducted by the author or authors during the passing decades. Besides, the competencies at Chalmers Library, who actually have been very helpful, have not managed to provide appropriate answers to the various questions implied being at hand just above (this despite trying to get hold of such answers, hence this very comment).
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| 14. |
- Despeisse, Mélanie, 1985, et al.
(författare)
-
Battery Production Systems: State of the Art and Future Developments
- 2023
-
Ingår i: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. - 1868-4238 .- 1868-422X. ; 692, s. 521-535
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper discusses the state of the art in battery production research, focusing on high-importance topics to address industrial needs and sustainability goals in this rapidly growing field. We first present current research around three themes: human-centred production, smart production management, and sustainable manufacturing value chains. For each theme, key subtopics are explored to potentially transform battery value chains and shift to more sustainable production models. Such systemic transformations are supported by technological advances to enable superior manufacturing performance through: skills and competence development, improved production ergonomics and human factors, automation and human-robot collaboration, smart production planning and control, smart maintenance, data-driven solutions for production quality and its impact on battery performance (operational efficiency and durability), circular battery systems supported by service-based business models, more integrated and digitalized value chains, and increased industrial resilience. Each subtopic is discussed to suggest directions for further research to realise the full potential of digitalization for sustainable battery production.
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
- Dukic, Tania, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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To use virtual tools for further development of Volvo Car´s production system - A case study of the development of the production system for P28/XC90.
- 2002
-
Ingår i: Chalmers, Produkt- och Produktionsutveckling. Rapport nr. 16. - 1651-0984. ; , s. 112-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- SummaryA work procedure for virtual product and manufacturing engineering has been developed at the Volvo Car Corporation. For the first time this was fully adhered to during the development of the P28/XC90 car model. The working methods comprise both virtual and physical analysis of different aspects of the product and production process, such as packing, assembly ability and ergonomics. A decision was taken in January 2001 to make an evaluation of the virtual working methods, for which a research team from the National Institute for Working Life and Chalmers University of Technology was engaged.The purpose was to evaluate how well the virtual working methods functioned with regard to ergonomics aspects of assembly work - and to what degree they could be applied for early identification of ergonomics problems. About 30 interviews with members of different development teams (module teams) were carried out for the evaluation. Evaluations of the assembly work for a selected number of PIIs1 for P28 were also made, starting with virtual series2 5 (VS5) in February 2001 ending with the pre-series PTO1 (Pre try-out 13) in November 2001. The overall results showed that the virtual participative working methods worked well in general and the members of the module teams (project teams) were very positive to the usage of virtual tools. A large number of ergonomic problems were identified and corrected but the number of ergonomic simulations was lower than expected. The reason for this was said to be a lack of ergonomics competence. Nevertheless the module teams believed that there was a greater potential for identifying and solving several ergonomic problems in early project phases than was the case in this study. An overall important outcome was the recommendations to the company for how to improve virtual working procedures, follow-ups of simulation results and virtual tools for the future.
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| 17. |
- Engström, Tomas, 1950, et al.
(författare)
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Brukarmedverkan vid planering-, bygg- och förvaltningsprocesser inom högskoleväsendet - Några erfarenheter, paralleller och reflektioner
- 2001
-
Ingår i: Arbete människa miljö. - 1402-859X. ; :1, s. 41 - 61
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Here in this publication are we criticizing the way the building facilities are managed at Chalmers University of Technology as well at Lund University (in fact a number of extremely long term failures to deal with building facilities in appropriate ways required at Chalmers have affected Engström’s and his research group members, two of these have been evaluated by external competencies) (besides, a visit to Chalmers even today will most certainly still underline this particular situation, i.e. at least for the trained eye familiar with public buildings and science demands) (similar situation is as reported also at hand elsewhere) (extreme rents for building facilities, are today signifying the operation at this and other universities).
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| 18. |
- Engström, Tomas, 1950, et al.
(författare)
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Ergonomics in Meat-Cutting II, Investigation of Physical Worl-Load and Efficiency in Different Systems for Materials Handling
- 1985
-
Ingår i: Ergonomics International, Proceedings of the Ninth Congress of the International Ergonomics Association, Brown, I. D., Goldsmith, R., Combes, K. and Sinclair, M. A. (eds.), Bournemouth. ; , s. 250 - 252
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 19. |
- Falck, Ann-Christine, 1949, et al.
(författare)
-
Assembly failures and action cost in relation to complexity level and assembly ergonomics in manual assembly (part 2)
- 2014
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-8219 .- 0169-8141. ; 44:2014, s. 455-459
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Earlier studies have demonstrated strong relationships between manual assembly at high physical loadlevels and increased amounts of quality defects compared to assembly at low physical load levels. Arecent Swedish interview study of engineers in design and manufacturing engineering indicated thatassembly complexity factors are of additional importance for the assembly quality. The objective of thisstudy was therefore to examine the significance of high and low complexity criteria and the relationshipsbetween assembly ergonomics and assembly complexity and quality failures by analyzing manual assemblytasks in car manufacturing. In total, 47 000 cars were analyzed and the results showed severalsignificant correlations between assembly ergonomics and assembly complexity, assembly time, failuresand action costs. The action costs for high complexity tasks were 22.4 times increased per task per carcompared to low complexity tasks.Relevance to industry: Assembly ergonomics and assembly complexity factors interact. Both should beproactively considered in order to keep assembly-related failures and action costs as low as possible.
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| 20. |
- Falck, Ann-Christine, 1949, et al.
(författare)
-
Basic complexity criteria and their impact on manual assembly quality in actual production
- 2017
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-8219 .- 0169-8141. ; 58, s. 117-128
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increasing design and assembly complexity are challenges facing the automotive industry today because increasing number of car variants and build options can result in immense difficulties and lead to costly assembly errors and quality losses. In order to remain on the market these conditions must nevertheless be managed by companies in hard competition with other manufacturers. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of newly developed basic complexity criteria (CXB) on assembly quality and associated costs for corrective measures in manual assembly of cars. Data on error rate and action costs of assembly tasks of different complexity level was collected and analyzed. The inter-relationship between different complexity criteria was analyzed to see whether any criteria had a greater impact than others. The results showed that the action costs/car increased with increasing complexity level and that several complexity criteria together resulted in increased action costs. Some criteria tended to have a greater impact than others but need more research. The results further suggest that if high complexity issues are identified and replaced by low complexity solutions the assembly related action costs in manual assembly are likely to decrease.Relevance to Industry: By reduction of basic assembly complexity already in early planning stages in product development significant reduction of costly assembly related action costs in manual assembly can probably be made.
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| 21. |
- Falck, Ann-Christine, 1949, et al.
(författare)
-
Criteria for assessment of basic assembly complexity
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Procedia CIRP. - : Elsevier BV. - 2212-8271. ; 44, s. 424-428
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tough competition force companies to develop and increase their product assortment in order to maintain their market share. This has resulted in numerous product variants with more features and build options. The complexity and risk of quality errors will increase. Managing complex product and installation conditions will result in distinct competitive advantages. Research has shown that sustainable and more cost-efficient assembly solutions can be obtained by proactive improvement of the working environment and installation conditions for the operators. Significant reduction of costly corrective measures can be made. The objective of this paper was to demonstrate criteria for proactive assessment of manual assembly complexity, which have been developed and verified in several studies. A further objective was to clarify and quantify included criteria as far as possible to enable a more general application in manual mass production of complex products.
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| 22. |
- Falck, Ann-Christine, 1949, et al.
(författare)
-
Proactive assessment of basic complexity in manual assembly: development of a tool to predict and control operator-induced quality errors
- 2017
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Production Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0020-7543 .- 1366-588X. ; 55:15, s. 4248-4260
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A major challenge for manufacturing companies today is to manage a huge amount of product variants and build options at the same time in manufacturing engineering and in production. The overall complexity and risk of quality errors in manual assembly will increase placing high demands on the operators who must manage many different tasks in current production. Therefore methods for decreasing and controlling assembly complexity are urgent because managing complex product and installation conditions will result in distinct competitive advantages. The objective of this paper is to present a method for predictive assessment of basic manual assembly complexity and explain how included complexity criteria were arrived at. The verified method includes sixteen high complexity and sixteen low complexity criteria to aid designers in preventing costly errors during assembly and create good basic assembly conditions in early design phases of new manufacturing concepts
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| 23. |
- Falck, Ann-Christine, 1949, et al.
(författare)
-
Relationship between complexity in manual assembly work, ergonomics and assembly quality
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Ergonomics for Sustainability and Growth, NES 2012 (Nordiska Ergonomisällskapet) konferens, Saltsjöbaden, Stockholm, 19-22 augusti, 2012. - 9789163711497 ; :Book of abstracts, Abstract B4:2, s. 91-
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Earlier studies have demonstrated strong relationships between manual assembly at high physical load levels and increased amounts of quality errors compared to assembly at low physical load levels. A recent Swedish interview study indicated that assembly complexity is also of importance for the assembly quality. The objective of this study was to examine the significance of complexity and the relationships between ergonomics, assembly complexity and quality by analyzing manual assembly tasks in car manufacturing. The results showed several significant correlations between ergonomics and assembly complexity, assembly time, failures and costs.
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| 24. |
- Falck, Ann-Christine, 1949, et al.
(författare)
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The Impact of Poor Assembly Ergonomics on Product Quality : A Cost-Benefit Analysis in Car Manufacturing
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing. - : Wiley Periodicals, Inc.. - 1090-8471 .- 1520-6564. ; 20:1, s. 24-41
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The study aimed at analyzing the relationship between assembly ergonomics, assemblability (“ease of assembly”), and product quality and at quantifying these relationships in economic terms. This was in order to better to support the development of more ergonomic product and assembly solutions, particularly at early stages of the car development process. The assembly of 24,443 cars was studied for 8 weeks in an assembly plant and for another 16 weeks as factory-complete vehicles. The results show increased risks for quality errors of 3.0 and 3.7 times and total action costs that were 8.7 times and 8.2 times higher for high and medium physical load assemblies compared to low physical load assemblies for 55 tasks assessed.
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| 25. |
- Falck, Ann-Christine, 1949, et al.
(författare)
-
The impact of poor assembly ergonomics on product quality - a cost-benefit analysis in car manufacturingn
- 2009
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The study aimed at analyzing the relationship between assembly ergonomics, assemblability (“ease of assembly”) and product quality and at quantifying these relationships in economic terms. This was in order better to support the development of more ergonomic product and assembly solutions, particularly at early stages of the car development process. The assembly of 24 443 cars was studied for eight weeks in an assembly plant and another 16 weeks as factory complete vehicles. The results show increased risks for quality errors of 3.0 and 3.7 times and total action costs that were 8.7 times and 8.2 times higher for high and medium physical load assemblies compared to low physical load assemblies for 55 tasks assessed.
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| 26. |
- Falck, Ann-Christine, 1949, et al.
(författare)
-
The influence of Assembly ergonomics on product quality and productivity in car manufacturing - a cost-benefit approach
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Nordic Ergonomics Society Conference (NES), August 11 - 13, 2008, Reykjavik, Island.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The influence of assembly ergonomics on product quality in car manufacturing – a cost-benefit approach Car manufacturing is often associated with poor working environment resulting in musculoskeletal disorders and high sick leave among assembly workers. Besides, a number of studies have proven that there is a clear correlation between assembly ergonomics and product quality and that poor assembly ergonomics result in impaired product quality and in increased production costs. Many proactive measures have been made trying to prevent these problems such as training production staff in load ergonomics, workstation improvements and design changes in product and production development. Nevertheless, there are remaining difficulties in receiving acceptance for product and production changes because of poor assembly ergonomics solutions. This project aims at analyzing the correlation between assembly ergonomics, assemblability and product quality. The objective is to quantify ergonomics and assemblability in economic terms in order to better support product and assembly solutions during the early development process of new car models. Overall, the purpose is to create a tool that supports decision making in the design of assembly concepts. The tool will have functionality to assess ergonomic conditions in terms of quality and productivity, interpreted in monetary terms.A selection of assemblies of high, medium and low ergonomic risk level will be followed and evaluated with respect to quality errors for eight weeks. The number of quality errors will be registered both in the assembly plant and on the after-sales market. The costs for scrap and corrective quality actions will be calculated both in the plant and on the after-sales market. The purpose is to define a quality cost associated to each ergonomic risk issue.
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| 27. |
- Falck, Annki, et al.
(författare)
-
Early risk identification and cost-benefit analyses through ergonomics simulation
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Digital Human Modeling for Design and Engineering Conference and Exhibition. - 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA, United States : Society of Automotive Engineers. ; , s. 10-
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- For cost-beneficial reasons simulations with computer manikins have been increasingly used in the automotive industry for prediction of ergonomics problems before the product and work place exist in physical form. The main purpose of ergonomics simulations is to apply biomechanical models and data to assess the acceptability of the physical work load, e.g., working postures, visibility, clearance, etc., which could result in requirements to change the design of the product. The aim is to improve ergonomics conditions in manual assembly and to promote a better product quality through improved assemblability (ease of assembly). Many studies have shown a clear correlation between assembly ergonomics and product quality and that poor assembly ergonomics result in impaired product quality and in decreased productivity. Nevertheless, there are remaining difficulties in achieving acceptance for changes of product and production solutions because of poor assembly ergonomics.A recent study in the Swedish automotive industry showed that huge savings and increased profit margins can be obtained by eliminating ergonomics risk concepts in the very early product development process. The study confirmed a strong relation between poor ergonomics assembly solutions and quality errors of the product (car). There was a substantially increased risk for quality errors and increased costs for corrective measures of the product for assembly items of high and moderate physical work load compared to assembly items of low work load. The quality risk was increased 3 and 3.7 times, respectively. The overall cost for corrective measures in the assembly plant and for factory complete cars was 8.7 and 8.2 times higher for assembly items of high and medium physical work load compared to items of low physical work load.The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the need for ergonomics simulations of potentially harmful assembly concepts in combination with cost-benefit analyses of conceivable system solutions based on calculation of costs for quality errors related to poor ergonomics and poor assemblability. The intended end result of this research is a model by application of which it is possible to calculate the cost for quality losses and health effects due to poor ergonomics and compare it with the cost for improving the ergonomics with designers, manufacturing engineers and ergonomists as main users.
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| 28. |
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| 29. |
- Högberg, Dan, et al.
(författare)
-
Industrial customisation of digital human modelling tools
- 2008
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Services Operations and Informatics. - 1741-5403 .- 1741-539X. ; 3:1, s. 53-70
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Computer aided visualization and simulation enables early evaluation of important design parameters of future products and production systems. Typically, humans affect the system performance, and in order to achieve the expected system efficiency ergonomics needs to beconsidered in the design process in addition to the more technical or logistical matters. Hence, there is a call for ergonomics to be a natural part of the product and production development process,also at virtual stages. Three examples of the development of DHM (digital human modelling) based company-specific ergonomics evaluation methods and work processes are portrayed, argued anddiscussed. These illustrate the use of DHM tools for performing static work and occupantpackaging analyses, as well as customizing activities made for the implementation of the tools in companies’ work processes. This is followed by a discussion of future needs of DHM tools including the call for ergonomics methods for evaluating full work cycles.
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| 30. |
- Högberg, Dan, et al.
(författare)
-
Towards Dynamic Ergonomics Analysis of Work Sequences in Virtual Environments
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing (2007 FAIM), Philadelphia, USA, June 2007. - 9781427620927 - 142762092X ; , s. 581-588
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Computer aided visualization and simulation enables early assessment of important design parameters of future products and production systems. Typically, humans affect the system performance, and in order to achieve the expected system efficiency ergonomics needs to be considered in the design process in addition to the more technical or logistical matters. Hence, there is a call for ergonomics to be a natural part of the product and production system design process, also at virtual stages. This paper portrays and discusses two cases where company-specific ergonomics guidelines were implemented into digital human modeling systems for performing static work analyses. Albeit useful, the approach of evaluating static postures gives a reduced picture of the actual situation since the work usually involves a series of movements and tasks. A recently commenced research project aims to enhance knowledge on how to estimate accumulated ergonomic load over time. This knowledge is eventually to be implemented in DHM tools to support objective ergonomics analysis of complete work sequences in virtual environments.
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
- Johansson, Mats, 1956, et al.
(författare)
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Work load and efficiency when loose-loading parcels in road transport carriers
- 1993
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Ingår i: Advances in industrial ergonomics and safety, Nielsen, R. and Jørgensen, K. (eds.), Taylor & Francis. - 7484-0061. ; , s. 47-53
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Loose-loading of trailers and other carriers in the distribution of parcels is discussed and also implemented by distributors in several countries for the purpose of increasing the utilisation of space. Loose-loading is monotonous and the risk of overload disorders among workers performing this type of work is high. This paper reports the results from an experimental study aiming at determining the workload and the accept¬able working pace when loose-loading parcels weighing up to 35 kg onto a trailer. The workload was assessed by measuring heart rate and by subjective rating of perceived exertion using the Borg scale. A biomechanical analysis of the postural load during lifting was also performed.
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| 34. |
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| 35. |
- Johansson, Mats, 1956, et al.
(författare)
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Workload when stowing parcels in trailers
- 1993
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Ingår i: Logistik und Arbeit. ; :4, s. 27-32
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Loose-loading of trailers and other carriers in the distribution of parcels is discussed and also implemented by distributors in several countries for the purpose of increasing the utilisation of space. Loose-loading is monotonous and the risk of overload disorders among workers performing this type of work is high. This paper reports the results from an experimental study aiming at determining the workload and the accept¬able working pace when loose-loading parcels weighing up to 35 kg onto a trailer. The workload was assessed by measuring heart rate and by subjective rating of perceived exertion using the Borg scale. A biomechanical analysis of the postural load during lifting was also performed.
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| 36. |
- Keyvani, Ali, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Considerations for aggregation of motion-captured files in structured databases for DHM applications
- 2013
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Ingår i: DHM 2013, Second International Digital Human Modeling Symposium.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- One way of enhancing motion simulation in digital human modeling (DHM) tools is to use data-driven methods which are based on real motion data. In spite of the availability of motion captured datasets which are offered for different purposes by commercial and research institutes, aggregation and integration of these motions in a unified and structured database system is not straight forward. Lack of this integration, limits the availability of existing data and causes DHM tools not to be able to use the data efficiently. Also for the researchers, comparison and analysis of data get very hard if not impossible. When searching for a specific motion pattern, it is optimal if the stored data in the database can be directly compared, analyzed and then retrieved if necessary. This study highlights several sources of incompatibility among motion capture files which shall be considered when implementing a comprehensive data management system for manipulating motion captured data. Subsequently, these incompatibilities are analyzed in more detail and necessary considerations and possible solutions are proposed in order to overcome the integration obstacles.
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
- Keyvani, Ali, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Schema for Motion Capture Data Management
- 2011
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Ingår i: Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 3rd International Conference on Digital Human Modeling, ICDHM 2011. - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg. - 1611-3349 .- 0302-9743. - 9783642217982 ; , s. 99-108
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A unified database platform capable of storing both motion captured data and information about these motions (metadata) is described. The platform stores large motion captured data in order to be used by different applications for searching, comparing, analyzing and updating existing motions. The platform is intended to be used to choose a realistic motion in simulation of production lines. It is capable of supporting and handling different motion formats, various skeleton types and distinctive body regions in a uniform data model. Extended annotating system is also introduced to mark the captured data not only in the time domain (temporal) but also on different body regions (spatial). To utilize the platform, sample tests are performed to prove the functionality. Several motion captured data is uploaded to the database while MATLAB is used to access the data, ergonomically analyze the motions based on OWAS standard, and add the results to the database by automatic tagging of the postures.
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
- Keyvani, Ali, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Using methods-time measurement to connect digital humans and motion databases
- 2013
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Ingår i: Lecture Notes in Computer Science. - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg. - 0302-9743 .- 1611-3349. - 9783642391811 ; 8026:Part 2, s. 343-352
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To simulate human motions in DHM tools, using techniques which are based on real human data is one promising solution. We have presented a solution in this study to connect motion databases with DHM tools. We have showed that using a motion database with MTM-based annotations is a promising way in order to synthesize natural looking motions. A platform consists of a Motion Database, a Motion Generator, and a DHM tool was introduced and tested. The results showed successful application of the presented platform in the designed test case. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.
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| 41. |
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| 42. |
- Laring, Jonas, 1951, et al.
(författare)
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Simulation for manufacturing engineering (ViPP)
- 2005
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Ingår i: SAE Technical Papers. - 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA, United States : SAE International. - 0148-7191 .- 2688-3627. ; Digital Human Modeling for Design and Engineering Symposium
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this project is to develop methodologies and supportive tools to handle introduction and administration of ergonomics simulation tools for manufacturing engineering. The main result will be a web-based handbook for effective use of digital human modelling tools inside companies and between suppliers and companies. ViPP is divided in three parts: Part A: Studies will be done with the purpose to advise on proper content of input data and on method for assessment of simulations' results. Part B: Studies will be done in order to check reliability of used digital human tools: (1) intra- and inter-individual differences concerning simulation results, (2) vision analysis and (3) the importance of the digital human model appearance/representation on simulation results. Part C: A handbook will be written on virtual production planning for pre production engineers, designers and decision makers. Copyright © 2005 SAE International.
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| 43. |
- Lämkull, Dan, 1966, et al.
(författare)
-
A comparative study of digital human modelling simulation results and their outcomes in reality : A case study within manual assembly of automobiles
- 2009
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Ingår i: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. - : Elsevier. - 0169-8141 .- 1872-8219. ; 39:2, s. 428-441
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective of this study was to examine to what extent ergonomics simulations of manual assembly tasks correctly predict the real outcomes in the plants and if recommended measures originating from ergonomics simulations are taken into consideration. 155 ergonomics simulation cases were used in the study and all cases were performed by nine simulation engineers at Volvo Car Corporation in Gothenburg. The evaluations of the ergonomics conditions of the simulated tasks were done by six professional ergonomists working at Volvo Car Corporation in Gothenburg. The results show that digital human modelling tools (DHM-tools) are useful for the purpose of providing designs for standing and unconstrained working postures. Furthermore, the design of various auxiliary devices and their needed space for movements is a prevalent use of DHM-tools. However, the study also identifies areas that require additional development in order to further improve the digital human modelling tools' possibility to correctly predict a work task's real outcome, i.e. hand access, push pressure and pull forces, leaning and balance behaviour and field of vision. Moreover, a better feedback of product and process changes and a more careful order description of simulation cases to the simulation engineers would lead to improved simulation results in current and future projects.Relevance to industry: DHM-tools are increasingly the major means used to perform ergonomics analyses of manual assembly tasks in the automotive industry, but there is still a need for improvements of the tools. It is of great importance to disseminate end users' experiences of the use of different DHM-tools so these can be developed and applied in a more efficient way.
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| 44. |
- Lämkull, Dan, 1966, et al.
(författare)
-
A comparative study of digital human modelling simulation results and their outcomes in reality: A case study within manual assembly of automobiles
- 2008
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-8219 .- 0169-8141. ; 39, s. 428-441
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective of this study was to examine to what extent ergonomics simulations of manual assembly tasks correctly predict the real outcomes in the plants and if recommended measures originating from ergonomics simulations are taken into consideration. 155 ergonomics simulation cases were used in the study and all cases were performed by nine simulation engineers at Volvo Car Corporation in Gothenburg. The evaluations of the ergonomics conditions of the simulated tasks were done by six professional ergonomists working at Volvo Car Corporation in Gothenburg. The results show that digital human modelling tools (DHM-tools) are useful for the purpose ofproviding designs for standing and unconstrained working postures. Furthermore, the design of various auxiliary devices and their needed space for movements is a prevalent use of DHM-tools. However, the study also identifies areas that require additional developmentin order to further improve the digital human modelling tools’ possibility to correctly predict a work task’s real outcome, i.e. hand access, push pressure and pull forces, leaning and balance behaviour and field of vision. Moreover, a better feedback of product and process changes and a more careful order desription of simulation cases to the simulation engineers would lead to improved simulation results in current and future projects.Relevance to industry:DHM-tools are increasingly the major means used to perform ergonomics analyses of manual assembly tasks in the automotive industry, but there is still a need for improvments of the tools. It is of great importance to disseminate end users’ experiences of the use of different DHM-tools so these can be developed and applied in a more efficient way
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| 45. |
- Lämkull, Dan, 1966, et al.
(författare)
-
Consistency in figure posturing results within and between simulation engineers
- 2006
-
Ingår i: SAE Technical Papers. - 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA, United States : SAE International. - 0148-7191 .- 2688-3627.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents the results of an effort to compare figure posturing results within and between simulation engineers. The simulation engineers simulated four manual tasks. Alternately they used a posture prediction tool, and alternately they were only allowed to apply manual adjustments of the body angles. The simulation engineers repeated each task six times and always with at least six days between each occasion, to minimize the subject's rememberance of how she/he carried out the cases. Results show that the use of a posture prediction tool, in such complex tasks as the study includes, neither reduces needed time to fulfill a simulation, nor differences within or between simulation engineers. Differences in simulation results often originate from the different assumptions the simulation engineers have of the task when positioning the manikins. The differences could be minimized by a more careful orderer description and by such activities as simulation engineering days at assembly plants and by bringing the people working with human simulation tools together in the organization. Copyright © 2006 SAE International.
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| 46. |
- Lämkull, Dan, 1966, et al.
(författare)
-
DHM - Evaluation Tools.
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Handbook of Digital Human Modeling: Research for Applied Ergonomics and Human Factors Engineering (Human Factors & Ergonomics). Vincent. G. Duffy (Ed.). Taylor & Francis, CRC Press.. - 0805856463
-
Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This chapter will only briefly describe the most commonly used evaluation tools for physical work loads, body postures, reach abilities and fields of vision integrated in different Digital Human Modelling Software (DHMS). We try to do so in a way that is neither too specific to any particular DHMS nor so generic that all evaluation tools, more or less integrated in DHMS, are covered. The continuation of this chapter is structured according to the different tool sets that are available in the most commercial DHMS. We have chosen to divide the tool sets into three groups: 1) Quantitative evaluation tools, 2) Semi-quantitative tools and 3) Tools for discomfort, anthropometry, human performance and cognition. The main focus of this chapter is addressed to group one (quantitative evaluation tools), whereas group two and three are less extensive.
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| 47. |
- Lämkull, Dan, 1966, et al.
(författare)
-
DHM in Automotive Manufacturing Applications
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Handbook of Digital Human Modeling: Research for Applied Ergonomics and Human Factors Engineering. Duffy, V.G. (Ed.). Taylor & Francis, CRC Press.. - 0805856463
-
Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This chapter covers the main reasons for the use of Digital Human Modelling tools in the automotive manufacturing industry. The focus is entirely on physical digital human modelling, not on cognitive digital human modelling. Important aspects regarding work process and organization are covered as well as how companies deal with some identified shortcomings. The chapter also describes how fewer physical prototype vehicles has made it necessary to find new methods for training of operators adapted to the new conditions. Finally, also an example of a simulation case from the order of the case to the result presentation is given.
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| 48. |
- Lämkull, Dan, 1966, et al.
(författare)
-
Digital Human Models' Appearance Impact on Observers' Ergonomic Assessment
- 2005
-
Ingår i: SAE Technical Papers. - 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA, United States : SAE International. - 0148-7191 .- 2688-3627.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective of this paper is to investigate whether different appearance modes of the digital human models (DHM or manikins) affect the observers when judging a working posture. A case where the manikin is manually assembling a battery in the boot with help of a lifting device is used in the experiment. 16 different pictures were created and presented for the subjects. All pictures have the same background, but include a unique posture and manikin appearance combination. Four postures and four manikin appearances were used. The subjects were asked to rank the pictures after ergonomic assessment based on posture of the manikin. Subjects taking part in the study were either manufacturing engineering managers, simulation engineers or ergonomists. Results show that the different appearance modes affect the ergonomic judgment. A more realistic looking manikin is rated higher than the very same posture visualized with a less natural appearance. Therefore, it is important to educate human simulation tool users to always combine visualizations (pictures) with an objective ergonomic evaluation method.
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| 49. |
- Lämkull, Dan, 1966, et al.
(författare)
-
The influence of virtual human model appearance on visual ergonomics posture evaluation.
- 2007
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-9126 .- 0003-6870. ; 38:6, s. 713-722
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective of this study was to investigate whether the appearance of virtual human models influences observers when judging a working posture. A task in which a manikin is manually assembling a car battery was used in the experiment. In total, 16 different pictures were presented to the subjects. All pictures had the same background, but included a unique posture and manikin appearancecombination. 24 subjects consisting of manufacturing managers, simulation engineers and ergonomists were asked to rate and rank the pictures. The results showed that the virtual human model appearance influenced subjects when they rated pictures one by one: a more realistic manikin was rated higher than the identical posture visualized with a less natural appearance. This appearance effect was notseen when subjects ranked the pictures while looking at all of them at the same time. The study demonstrates that the human modelling tool used when showing and visually evaluating results makes a difference. To minimize subjective effects, a combination of visualizations and objective ergonomic assessment methods is recommended.
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| 50. |
- Lämkull, Dan, 1966, et al.
(författare)
-
Uniformity in manikin posturing: A comparison between posture prediction and manual joint manipulation
- 2008
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation. - 1742-5549. ; 1:2, s. 225-243
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents the results of a comparison of manikin posturing within and between simulation engineers. Five simulation engineers were asked to simulate and visualize four manual assembly cases. They repeated each task six times, three times with a posture prediction tool and three times with manual adjustment of the body angles. The results show that the posture prediction tool was not used in an optimal manner. Although the prediction tool was quick at suggesting a likely posture, the simulation engineers were reluctant to consider a simulation task completed until the manikin’s posture was realistic in all aspects, not only in the configurations for the major body joints postures but also for fingers, wrists and feet. This fine tuning of fingers is performed with manual manipulation of joints and cancels out the time gained with the posture prediction tool. The fine tuning does not affect the results in objective evaluation methods. Therefore, a lower acceptance level of correctness among managers, simulation engineers and ergonomic specialists is desired, or a shift from visualization to simulation is necessary. Manikin postures differ between simulation engineers. A posture variation exists and this variation in working behaviour should be accepted and simulated. However, simulation engineers also need more extensive knowledge of how workers actually behave on the assembly line; study visits are thus recommended. A shift is also recommended from simulations and visualizations of normal working behaviours to that of ergonomically correct behaviours. This comparison of manikin posturing within and between simulation engineers is an attempt to understand the use of the tool in a practical sense. The comparison indicates that if a posture prediction tool is to be beneficial for the whole organisation, all disciplines involved in the use of manikins must accept simulation results with postures containing some non-cosmetic elements. It is not until such an acceptance is achieved that the successful use of a posture prediction tool will become a reality.
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